Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Erin Singleton is making her solo performing debut at the 2016 Dallas Solo Fest with her show SUPER MORTAL. TSP gets a chance to talk with the cheeky soloist. Here we go...Q: Please give us a brief bio, where you are from and how you started in theatre/ performance?

A: I am native to Dallas and interested in telling stories that express Dallas! The show that first made me want to be involved in theatre was a Shakespeare play at Dallas Theatre Center - I walked away with bits of Ophelia's flowers the way someone would walk away with drumsticks from a rock concert. I majored in acting with a minor in directing at Oklahoma City University. For theatre, I've taken the advice of my composer/sound engineer/musical performing Dad and tried to have as many skills in my wheelhouse as I could. Well, really what he said was "anything for a buck," but that makes my mom roll her eyes.

Q: You're fairly new to performing one-person shows yourself. What event or desire brought you specifically into the world of solo performance?

A: I'd like to thank John Michael and Brad McEntire for that! I directed John Michael two years ago in Crossing Your I's at the Dallas Solo Fest. I took over from the late Matt Tomlanovich after he was first hospitalized.

I have loved watching and being involved in the DSF, and I was feeling inspired by the people behind the DSF to become a part.

A: It's about a comic book enthusiast who discovers that her dream is coming true - she's developing super powers. Honestly, I'd say it's really a story about the effects of codependency and what self-actualization is in a culture that values reboots and sequels... but this show can also just be enjoyed as an interesting story about a funny, quirky character. So sit back and enjoy it on whatever level you feel like.

Q: What is your favorite thing about doing this work?

A: I am so excited to develop something that is uniquely mine. It's the scariest, most exciting thing I've done in a long time, and I'm thrilled to be able to share it with others. It's also great being able to write your own material - as long as I don't accidentally cuss, I can invite my Mom to this one! (Ask me about the time I lit my hand on fire and cursed on stage in front of about 80 small children and parents.)

Q: How do you keep yourself motivated?

A: I picture my audience in my underwear. Wait, I may have misunderstood that one...My favorite thing in the world is to be challenged. I've recently been thinking a lot about an interview with David Bowie where he talked about always staying slightly outside of your comfort zone. It's been inspirational. If I'm totally comfortable and not feeling pushed, then I'm not growing.

Also, I eat lots of fiber and stay hydrated.

Q: What is your approach to the development process when putting together a new project? Do you create a lot on stage, improvising? More on paper? Tape or video record? Hold readings? Go to a mountain top?

A: It starts with conversations and life experiences that reform themselves into images that interest me. For this show, it actually started with a day I had a conversation with Brad McEntire, but the script started forming itself while I was... this will sound cheesy, but I was meditating and had some images and scenes that I wanted to write. I wanted to write it because I wanted to see those scenes come to life. I write shows that I want to see. A lot of this show is based on the idea that all creation is just regurgitation. You take in images, phrases, and ideas throughout your life, and whatever you create is the result of the chemistry of those things inside of your own mind. Nothing is really original, in that sense, but just a variation on a given theme. We add our own chemistry to whatever we take inside our mind.

Q: Who are some of your influences or people that inspire you, be they solo performers or just in general as an artist?

A: I watch a lot of Netflix and YouTube. I also read cereal boxes in my spare time.This is a really funny question for the type of show I'm performing. I'm playing a character who is an amalgamation of her favorite influences.

Q: One of the interesting things about solo performance is that one is usually a one-person operation on stage as well as off. How do you bridge the gap between the creative and the business side of solo theatre?

A: I just have to share my event pages with the same voracity most people use for cat memes.

A lot of networking and creativity! And also the ability to drop the showtimes of your upcoming show into every conversation. It's like being a proud grandparent. If I had a wallet, I would show off pictures of my scripts.

Q: What do you see for the future of solo performance and for you personally as an artist?

A: I am excited to see what the most challenging thing I can do after this show is! I'm thinking anything other than sky diving. Maybe I'll get a lot of cats.

Q: Shout outs or links?

A: Thanks to John Michael, Greg Silva, and to my director Shelby-Allison Hibbs!I'm on the board of Dallas-based theatre group N47, so check out Facebook.com/N47Theatre to keep in touch with that.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Based in New Orleans, Diana E. H. Shortes has a deep and diverse background in theatre and education. In June, she will be a part of the 2016 Dallas Solo Fest with her show White Sauce and Diaper Babies, about the life and work of poet Anne Sexton.

TSP got a chance to ask her a few questions. Here we go...

Q: Please give us a brief bio, where you are from and how you
started in theatre/performance?

A: I am a performing artist and educator, yoga instructor, tour
guide and bartendress, who has been living and working in New Orleans, LA since
Mardi Gras of 2000.

I was born in Austin, TX and moved a lot while growing up
(Galveston, San Fransisco, Cleveland and Nashville were among the highlights).
No, my family was not military. My mother is a social worker and a free spirit,
and she took me wherever the wind took her.

I fell in love with Shakespeare in the fourth grade, when we were
introduced to a few scenes from Romeo and Juliet, and found myself on stage for
the first time in the fifth grade as a spunky girl from a children's book
adapted for the stage by our librarian. After that, I was hooked.

My high school years were spent in Clarksville, TN - a military
community just north of Nashville - which just happens to be home to one of the
best regional theaters in the Southeast: the Roxy. It was there that I cut my
teeth, theatrically. While the other kids were doing whatever
"normal" kids do in high school form 7-10p, I was almost always in
rehearsal, learning the discipline of the dramatic arts.

After a nine month
internship in NYC at Dixon Place, I graduated from Antioch College with a
self-designed degree in "Feminist Literary Theatre" and a burning
desire to create something new, rather than put myself into the well
established theatrical rat race of NY...LA...Chicago, etc.

I decided to move to New Orleans, LA and quickly became
entrenched in the theatre scene there. I have worked with many of the city's
production companies over the years. I served as Artist in Residence for the
Dog and Pony Theatre Co., spearheading their Shakespeare in City Park series,
and am the proud recipient of two Big Easy awards for Best Actress. In NOLA I
have had the opportunity to write for the stage, perform, direct, design,
produce and stage manage. I've also taken to teaching, and am currently a
member of the Drama department faculty at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts,
a public high school dedicated to the creative arts, where I teach yoga as part
of their movement curriculum.

Q: What event or desire brought you specifically into the world
of solo performance?

A: The desire to control everything, honestly. I've had a vision for
years of finding a way to literally control even the lights and sound from the
stage. Complete artistic control, however, comes with complete artistic
responsibility... and I have questioned the wisdom of my decision to perform
solo many, many times since creating "White Sauce" as my senior thesis
at Antioch.

The more time I spend in the world of solo-performance, the more
I begin to recognize that quite often the best solo performers have an army of
folks supporting them behind the scenes: directors, designers, producers, etc.
No woman is an island.

I do think, ultimately, it is my passion for the entirety of
theatrical production that drives me to perform solo. I do truly love every
single element of the process of creating something for the stage.

Q: Could you tell us about some of your particular kind of of
solo work?

A: "White Sauce" is an exploration of the life and work of
the great American poet, Anne Sexton. I created the piece by weaving together
excerpts from her body of work: poems, prose, letters, interviews and journal
entries. In this way, I have attempted to build a narrative which speaks to the
poet's struggle to create, amidst a minefield of mental illness, chemical
dependency and the social expectations of the mid-twentieth century
middle-class American landscape.

With my work, I try to tell the truth about what it is to be a
woman in the world. I am passionate about women's history, women's stories and
women's words. The more I talk about the accomplishments of women whose lives I
find inspiring, the more I recognize how vitally important it is that our
stories be brought to light and kept alive. Most folks honestly don't know how
powerful and productive so many women have been throughout history, against all
odds. They simply haven't heard.

For instance, I have also written a piece about the Baroness
Michaela Almonester de Pontalba. Some people are aware that she built Jackson
Square and the Pontalba Apartments in New Orleans, as well as the Hotel
Pontalba in Paris, which is now the residency for the U.S. embassy. Most everyone
who has heard of her has also heard the erroneous rumor that she had an illicit
affair with President Andrew Jackson, hence the statue placed in the center of
the square, tipping his hat to her center apartment. Very few, however, know
the truly incredible story that she did all of this AFTER surviving a brutal
attack upon her life by her father-in-law, leaving her with a mangled left hand
and three bullets lodged permanently in her chest.

Q: What is your favorite thing about doing this work?

A: The sense of connection that comes from working so closely with
the spirit of such incredibly accomplished individuals, and the appreciation I
receive from folks in the audience who have been touched in some way by the
performance.

Q: What inspires you to keep going and how do you keep yourself
motivated?

A: A sense of duty, at this point. I have come to view the work as
my dharma - simply what it is I am meant to be doing with my life at this time.
The way I see it, I've been blessed (or cursed!) with certain talents, skills
and abilities, as well as a passion for performance, literature and women's
history. It therefore stands to reason that it is my job in this lifetime to
figure out how to use what I have been given to be of service, to share all of
that energy with the rest of the world.

If and when I start making it all about me, that's when I get
myself into trouble. When I begin questioning whether or not all of the hard
work is worth it, if this is actually something I want to be doing, if the work
is important or necessary, if people will like it or like me, that's when
self-doubt comes around, makes itself comfortable, and often hangs out for
weeks...eating everything in the refrigerator.

Thankfully, that voice is most often drowned out by the encouragement
I receive from a wonderfully strong support system of fellow artists,
colleagues, friends and family who never miss an opportunity to ask, "so
what are you working on now?"

Q: What is your approach to the development process when putting
together a new project? Do you create a lot on stage, improvising? More on
paper? Tape or video record? Hold readings? Go to a mountain top?

A: Depends on what the work calls for. I do know I create most
effectively in community, which can certainly be a challenge as a solo
performer. Each one of my solo shows has found its genesis alongside others
working toward the same goal. I've facilitated several of them writing for performance
workshops in NOLA, and in this way created an incubator for my own ideas to
come light.

Feedback, for me, is essential. I generally begin performing a
piece before I feel it's "ready", and allow it to alchemize in the
fire of audience opinion. I'll often add elements that interest me along the
way, and then scale back when and where it feels necessary. Everything for me
is an experiment. I love the feeling of security that comes when something is
"set", but often we need to adapt to new perimeters of space, time or
energy, and I always leave room for improvisation. As a performer, I view
myself as an instrument, playing with the portrayal of human existence. Life is
an ever evolving act of improvisation, is it not? If so, there must always be
room, in my mind, for possibility - for that moment of discovery on stage.

That being said, I have found using video taped recordings of
performances absolutely invaluable as a tool toward directing myself. I will
often ask trusted colleagues to sit in on rehearsals and offer feedback, but
nothing has proved so helpful as literally watching myself and taking notes as
I would with any other performer.

Q: Who are some of your influences or people that inspire you, be
they solo performers or just in general as an artist?

Q: How do you bridge the gap between the creative and the
business side of solo theatre?

A: This may be the single biggest challenge of my adult life. I find
it quite difficult to open myself fully to the creative process, while
simultaneously remaining focused and grounded in the material world.

I have experimented with trying to block out time (hours, days,
weeks...) to work on one aspect or another of production, but so far I haven't
been all that successful at disentangling the two. I do my best to outsource when and where I can.
While I am truly interested and invested in every element of the process, I
have learned the messages I received growing up that said, "if you want it
done right, do it yourself" don't always serve me - or the work.

Another interesting challenge I have found is that of
self-promotion. While I have been a performer my whole life (my mom will be the
first to tell you how much I have always enjoyed being the center of
attention), I am actually quite shy and introverted in many ways. If I am
completely honest, I would also have to admit to regularly experiencing nearly
crippling bouts of insecurity and low self-esteem, which can make talking about
myself and my work almost painful. Ironically, (and perhaps it is no accident)
I believe Anne Sexton - and many other artists as well - have also suffered from a similar dilemma.

A few years ago I had an awesome conversation with a successful
artist in NOLA who explained she has taken a cue from Beyoncé and created an
alter-ego for herself, a persona who can take over whenever fear or self-doubt
begins to creep in and mess with her. I have found this method to be super
helpful. Often, when Diana feels like she just can't do whatever it is that
needs to get done, that's when Anne (or the Baroness) steps in, gets all
dressed up, puts her game face on, and goes out into the world - to take it by
storm.

Q: Any advice for some aspiring artist just starting out in solo
performance?

A: In many ways, I feel I am still a novice, and so any advice I may
have is directed first at myself!

Don't be afraid to ask for help. And don't give up. The reality
of solo performance is that one will find s/he must at some point take on the
role of artist, director, designer, producer, stage manager, tour manager,
marketing director, technical director, videographer, secretary and booking
agent. Have I left anything out? Probably. Oh yes, that's right. Most of us are
also likely holding down a jobby-job (or
two or three) that allows us both the freedom and stability to pursue our
performative passions. So just do it. Accept it, and then figure out who you
know who can help you with what and ask them for support.

Q: What do you see for the future of solo performance and for you
personally as an artist?

A: As far as the future of solo performance goes, I think the form
is optimally suited for healing and transformation. By this I mean, as solo
performers we have a unique opportunity to explore the Universal Truths of
human existence through the specific lens of individual experience. When we share
our stories with one another - or perform our individual interpretation of the
stories of others who have inspired us - we participate and engage others in
the primordial act of human connection. Traditionally, storytellers serve as
shamans in society. When we listen to one another's stories, we begin to
understand and identify with each other on a very deep level. Compassion is
cultivated through the sharing of our stories, and the result is often an
opportunity for both personal and social alchemy.

Personally, I have hopes and dreams of traveling the
globe, performing and building community. I love teaching, directing and
helping others to create new work. I also have had a life long love affair with
both classic and contemporary theatre, period. Basically, I want to see great
work world wide and be an integral part of making it happen. Q: Links?A: My show is playing this June at the Dallas Solo Fest. Check it out... here.

Q: Please give us a brief bio, where you are from and how you started in theatre/performance?

A: I'm originally from Cincinnati, OH, and I've spent the last ten years in Chicago with a brief, but beautiful stint in the Bay Area. From a young age, I was always creating and performing and reenacting my favorite movie scenes or performing holiday plays with my siblings. So I was constantly making and expressing things through art. I moved to Chicago to attend Loyola University, where I focused on directing after failed attempts at being an actor.

Q: What event or desire brought you specifically into the world of solo performance?

A: I hadn't had much success as an actor in college or beyond, and I was finding directing to be less than satisfying. I'd always been funny at parties and had lots of creative ideas, but I wasn't so good at pretending to be other people onstage. I didn't know where I fit in, and I hadn't thought so much about playing myself. On kind of a whim, I applied to the 2012 San Francisco Fringe Festival, submitting a solo piece with just a title. No script. No plot. Just the idea that I wanted to explore faith and love and I wanted to perform it all by myself. The show (Jesus, Do You Like Me? Please Mark Yes or No.) got picked in the Fringe lottery, so I had a handful of months to write it and learn how to be a solo performer! I've ended up performing Jesus in Cincinnati, Chicago, and New York City since. I fell in love with the art form, especially the opportunity to create such a singular relationship with the audience.

Q: Could you tell us about some of your particular kind of of solo work?

A: My work is radically vulnerable. I talk about my own life and experiences, ranging from religion, body image, relationships, loneliness, movies, and alcoholism. And though I broach serious subjects, I infuse everything with humor and joy.

I wrote Bad Dates, Or What Killed That Monkey In Indiana Jones Only Makes Me Stronger, over the course of last year. It's a show about romantic relationships and how my lifelong obsession with Harrison Ford movies has skewed my perception of human men. It's a sweet and funny piece, choc-ful of movie references. I've been touring it through Chicago and taking it to the Dallas Solo Fest in June.

I enjoy exploring different strands of solo performance as well. I've built exhibitions of performance art that feel like theatre, storytelling that sounds like poetry, and long form shows that are reminiscent of stand-up. The wonderful thing about solo work is that the art forms blend together so well.

Q: What is your favorite thing about doing this work?

A: I love working with the audience as my scene partner. The work I do is mostly autobiographical, so I am essentially having a long, one-sided conversation with the audience. I love the intimacy that this creates. It encourages the audience to be more invested in and connected to the story. And, if the occasion calls for it, it allows us to have a frank and open dialogue in a post-show setting. I've found that people are comfortable enough to share their own stories and secrets with me, because they know so much about me at that point. This kind of scenario lets people unburden themselves of whatever shame they are holding onto. If it's about faith, family, body image, addiction, love, loneliness, what have you, they are able to feel less alone in their experience.

Q: What inspires you to keep going and how do you keep yourself motivated?

A: I'm inspired by other artists. When I see great work, especially here in Chicago, I feel a combination of pride, envy, and inspiration. There's a lot of people who push me to keep up! If I'm feeling stuck, I watch something, I go see something, I help somebody create their thing. It's revitalizing.

I'm also continuously inspired by my family. We have stood beside each other through lots of joy and sorrow. They've always supported me. I have a little baby nephew who inspires me to be the best version of myself and try to make the world a better place. I also have a great support system of friends who will let me try jokes and bits and stories on them, with lots of love and patience.

Q: What is your approach to the development process when putting together a new project? Do you create a lot on stage, improvising? More on paper? Tape or video record? Hold readings? Go to a mountain top?

A: I'm still experimenting with the best process. Usually it devolved into writing furiously at the last minute. I do a lot of thinking about each show. I take walks, I run, I try to go to nature and map things out. In the early stages, I record a lot of ideas using an app on my phone. I use index cards to outline the subjects I want to talk about. I scribble down ideas on the train.

When I started doing solo work, I did everything myself, and I've found that to be very lonely and the work is lesser for it. The last few projects I've worked on, I've brought in collaborators. I do a "garbage read," which entails a few friends and colleagues watching me read all the material I've gathered into a big mess. Having this initial audience helps me cut and shape the script into something clear.

For the show I'm working on right now, I enlisted a director and an actress for a second stage of development. We had private rehearsals where the actress played 'me' and I could focus just on the writing part. It was immensely helpful to have that distance.

For me, these shows are never done. Depending on the venue or the audience, something will change and you have to be open to improvisation, unexpected audience participation, and, in one special case, a dog walking in.

Q: Who are some of your influences or people that inspire you, be they solo performers or just in general as an artist?

A: Anna Deavere Smith has made solo performance familiar to the world. Although I don't perform multiple character shows, she's heavily influenced the genre.

Gilda Radner's Broadway show was basically a one-woman show with friends. Gilda had such a sweet earnestness, and I'm inspired by the rapport she created with audiences.

Mike Birbiglia's shows changed the way I thought about how comedy and storytelling can work together. Patti Smith, Bob Dylan, and Lou Reed have had a huge effect on my writing, poetry, and use of imagery. Steve Martin is my absolute idol, with his diverse breadth of work and his absurd comic genius. Tig Notaro is an outstanding and amazing performer and human.

I've been a huge fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda for years. I love "Hamilton," for its sincerity, precision, and its idealism. He's a generous genius and a champion for the arts.

And there are of course, so many people in Chicago that bring the noise every single night on stages all through the city. I'm so grateful to be a part of this incredible community. Some of my favorite movers and shakers in the Chicago solo world are Arlene Malinowski, Lily Be, Bea Cordeila, David Boyle, Laura Scruggs, John Michael Colgin, and Ron Keaton.

Q: How do you bridge the gap between the creative and the business side of solo theatre?

A: I still find it quite difficult. The business side of art is always a little sticky, but in solo performance, your product is yourself. So there's a whole rabbit hole of narcissism and vanity to dive into. But I think it's about being bold and asking for what you want. The power of just asking is a magical thing, and it's how a lot of my relationships with venues have started. However, you have to be prepared when the answer is no. You have to be gracious with rejection, especially on the business end. Because to business owners or potential partners, your art is not a special snowflake. You have to get tougher. You have to believe that your product is worth a certain dollar amount. I'm always learning and always reminding myself that my work has that kind of value.

Q: Any advice for some aspiring artist just starting out in solo performance?

A: Go see things. Look at how much you can stretch this genre. Try new things, weird things. Work on your whole piece, then chop it into bits. Ask for advice. Support other solo artists. Keep writing. Your experiences are not trivial. No one gets to see the world the same way you do.

Q: What do you see for the future of solo performance and for you personally as an artist?

A: With the rise of social media and all the avenues the Internet provides, it seems solo performance output is at an all-time high. This is exciting, but also daunting. I'm looking forward to more voices and more experimentation within the genre. I'm hoping to explore more theatricality in my work, as opposed to the straight storytelling I've been pursuing. I hope to become a mentor to younger folks eventually, and I hope to find solid repeat collaborators. I'd love to take my work all over the world, while making a large impact on the Chicago community.

Q: Shout outs or links?

A: All my upcoming shows can be found on my website www.eileentull.com. If you're in Chicago, I co-curate a monthly performance series featuring female-identifying and non-binary artists exploring gender, feminism, and sexuality in their work called Sappho's Salon. It runs the second Tuesday of every month at Women and Children First bookstore. I'm working on a new solo show about addiction and recovery, with a few other projects in the works.

Monday, May 9, 2016

Vincent "Vinny" Mraz is a multidisplinary artist and educator based in Yonkers, New York. October 1st of last year he launched the sometimes soulful/sometimes funny/ always fascinating"100 Letters 100 Days" project. You can check it out at: onehundredonehundred.tumblr.comHe will be performing his solo show "The Escape Plan"at the2016 Dallas Solo Fest. TSP got him to answer a few questions.Here we go...

Q: Please give us a brief bio, where you are from and how you started in theatre/performance?

A: I grew up in Milford, CT about 15 minutes away from New Haven and 90 minutes from New York City. I started theater when I was in middle school after I saw my sister perform as one of the cards in "Alice in Wonderland" at the high school. I thought, "I want to do that..." I did the middle school drama club and then in high school went to the Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven which is an arts magnet high school. I was a part of the theater program there and was exposed to so many incredible artists and work that really started to form me as a serious theater maker. Being so close to Yale I was able to see a lot of theater coming out of their school and the rep company (I took it all for granted...only recently did I realize how lucky that was) as well as the Long Wharf Theater and Broadway shows in the city. It all got me into this world pretty quickly. A crash course in the theater.

Q: What event or desire brought you specifically into the world of solo performance?

A: I never wanted to be a solo performer. When I started my graduate program at Sarah Lawrence I was dedicated to writing and directing and didn't think much about performing. Part of the program is to generate a capstone project which at the time was open to anything you wanted. I thought about writing a play but that was my focus throughout and I thought a solo would be a great challenge for myself, to both write and perform. It was really the necessity of needing to come up with a project for myself in addition to the desire to challenge myself in a new way that led me to the solo performance arena.

Q: Could you tell us about some of your particular kind of of solo work?

A: That's hard to describe because I am always reinventing the wheel. Truthfully I'm always boring myself so when I sit down to write something new or begin a new project I think, "Ok, what can I do now that I haven't done before?" It's not exactly a sustainable model but at this point I want to explore my options, to try something brand new and in the process discover my own limitations and tendencies. If I have to describe my work I would say it's a mix of autobiography and comedy, monologues and rants, stream of conscious and neurotic thought patterns. Language and text based, but again I'm finding that's a usual place to go and I want to find a new little corner in which to dwell.

Q: What is your favorite thing about doing this work?

A: It's terrifying. It takes ever fiber of myself to get into the room and do it. I feel like...ok well maybe I can get away with not doing it today...I'll spend some time on it tomorrow. I have to hold myself accountable. It makes for a real pressure cooker of a situation where you just have to work with the ideas you have in the room. If you try too hard to make it something you think it "should" be you spend a lot of time feeling frustrated. Instead it's a very intuitive process, following a thread until you pick up a new one. It's you facing yourself, pushing yourself, investigating your own humanity a bit more. It can be egotistical navel-gazing, but I try to always focus on the universals in the work, the things that keep me out in the world, relating myself to others.

Q: What inspires you to keep going and how do you keep yourself motivated?

A: Usually the deadline inspires me. I will either have something to show for myself or I wont.

Q: What is your approach to the development process when putting together a new project? Do you create a lot on stage, improvising? More on paper? Tape or video record? Hold readings? Go to a mountain top?

A: I tend to write a lot at first. Then once I'm on my feet I try out the words in my mouth because they don't always fit what I heard in my brain when I first wrote it. So I edit on my feet, try to make things sound more natural, less heady. Once I have some kind of a structure then I go back and try to identify the major elements that exist in the piece, isolate those elements and begin to play around with an order and a structure.

Q: Who are some of your influences or people that inspire you, be they solo performers or just in general as an artist?

Q: Any advice for some aspiring artist just starting out in solo performance?

A: I myself feel like I'm just starting out in this world...so...I would say just keep working. If this is a mode of expression that you feel you must pursue then you have to show up and do it. Don't wait for someone else to tell you what to do next. I heard the phrase "hold on tightly, let go lightly" I don't remember where but I think it rings true for this work. Don't talk yourself out of your own ideas before you even try them. Give these impulses the room to breath and grow and experience them fully and then make the decision if they stay or go. I threw out about 80% of the original work I generated with "The Escape Plan" at first because at the time it seemed like the right thread to follow and then eventually after working with my friend/collaborator CB Goodman she helped me realize that I was all over the place and needed to focus the piece. So experiment, test hypothesis, try everything, and then focus. Don't judge yourself. Let go lightly.

Q: What do you see for the future of solo performance and for you personally as an artist?

A: The solo will live on. There will be good solo and bad solo as there has always been. But what keeps me (and maybe everyone else) coming back is the ability to connect with someone on a deeply personal level. I've seen a couple of stand-up/story-telling shows recently (Mike Birbiglia and Neal Brennan) and they were a mix of stand-up and theater. It was powerful and funny and moving. So that keeps me coming back. As for myself, I'm looking for new ways into the form. I'm looking for new ways of story-telling, of taking autobiography and moving it past confessions and monologues and into a place of poetry and metaphor. I'm trying to get down to the essentials and see how little I can get away with without boring everyone.

About this site:

Welcome! Glad you have stopped by. This site is moderated by Brad McEntire, a solo performer, playwright, improviser and stage director based in Dallas, Texas.

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THE SOLO PERFORMER (TSP) will strive to be a go-to point for information on solo theatre, from historical profiles, interviews with contemporary artists, book reviews, essays, tips, techniques, perspectives, festival listings, etc.

. TSP is a collaborative holding place for ideas. Right now, the site is filled with whatever Brad finds and finds interesting about solo performance. It is essectially a one-man job (okay... pun intended). If you are a solo performer or a theatre writer and want to contribute, the welcome mat of out. Please drop a line. Enjoy!

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Standing Alone Quote:

"It is necessary to have a point of view about the world which surrounds you, the society in which you live; a point of view as to how your art can reflect your judgment... You must ask yourself, 'How can I bring all of this to the statement I wish to make in the theatre?'"~ Uta Hagen